Dining Management

Dining Services Management Team

Dawn Aubrey

Associate Director of University Housing for Dining Services

Dr. Dawn Aubrey is the Associate Director of Housing for Dining Services at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. She oversees the operation of eleven dining facilities, including six residential dining halls and five a la carte/retail locations on the university's campus, including Ikenberry Dining Hall, the largest non-military dining facility in the United States which opened in 2010. Illinois also has a six-million-dollar-a-year catering operation under her direction. She began her University of Illinois career in 2006 as the Senior Assistant Director for Dining Services, and began her current role as Director in 2011. She came to Illinois from the University of Maine where she served as the Director of Dining Services.

Dawn holds a bachelor's degree in economics from the College of Notre Dame (Baltimore), an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business and a Doctorate of Business Administration from Warren National University. She is certified as a Food Management Professional (FMP), a Certified Executive Chef (CEC) and a Certified Culinary Administrator (CCA) through the American Culinary Federation (ACF). She also serves on the advisory board for Simplot and General Mills. In 2015, Dawn was elected president of the National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS).

Chris Henning

Senior Assistant Director of Dining Services

Christopher Henning is a graduate of New England Culinary Institute and attended the Montpelier campus in Vermont. He earned an Associate of Occupations Studies in Culinary Arts in 1998 and a Bachelor of Arts in Food and Beverage Business Management in 1999. Christopher has worked in a diverse range of restaurants, starting as a line cook at Chef Jean Joho’s Everest in Chicago, Illinois. He then went on to manage multiple restaurant venues at the Fiesta Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. His passion for cooking started at a very young age and was influenced by his grandfather who was a baker and entrepreneur. Christopher was a bronze medalist in 2006 for the Tastes of the World Chef Culinary Conference. He is a member of the Local Foods Policy Council for Champaign County and is an active member in Champaign’s American Culinary Federation chapter.

Dawn Aubrey, Associate Director of University Housing for Dining Services